New Carpenters & World Trivia By The Year

[YesterdayOnceMore]

Hello everybody:

I know, I know.....it's been a long time since I've been around on a regular basis - sorry about that. In the meantime, I've found a bunch of very cool trivia by the year about the Carpenters and the world-at-large that I want to begin sharing here, and get your input on. I think it will make for a thread where we can get some really good discussions going on the various things that I've found.

Look for it, hopefully starting tomorrow. I'll be back to post 1969, and all that it had to offer us - especially, CARPENTERS.

[enigma]

sounds real interesting and fun Tim looking forward to this exercise/discussion I will watch for your threads and contribute as necessary

[YesterdayOnceMore]

Okay, here we go:

1969

TICKET TO RIDE

Apollo 11 makes first moon landing
100 countries sign nuclear nonproliferation treaty

YOUR WONDERFUL PARADE

Cigarette ads are banned on US television
Scanning electron microscope developed
M Al-Quaddafi deposes the King of Libiya
5 million people attend Woodstock Concert

ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

#1 Singles with the longest run on Billboard:
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In - the 5th Dimension
In the Year 2525 - Zayer and Evans
Get Back - The Beatles with Billy Preston

#1 Album with the longest run on Billboard:
HAIR - original Broadway Cast
ABBEY ROAD - The Beatles
BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS - Blood Sweat & Tears
LED ZEPLIN II - Led Zeplin

GRAMMY AWARDS:
Song of the Year - Little Green Apples - OC Smith
Record of the Year - Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
Album of the Year - By the Time I get to Phoenix - Glen Campbell
Accademy Award, Best Motion Picture - MIDNIGHT COWBOY

CARPENTERS

SIGNED WITH A&M RECORDS ON APRIL 22
Herb Alpert chose OFFERING Album Cover photo by Jim McCrary
A&M destroyed existing copies of OFFERING when it repackaged
the album as TICKET TO RIDE
One of the earliest CARPENTERS concerts was the LA premier of the film HELLO DOLLY, in December.

1970

CLOSE TO YOU

IBM Introduces the floppy disc
The Swiss invent liquid crystal display (LCD)
The British introduce bar codes
ABC premiers Monday Night Football

HELP

The Beatles disband
Four Kent State University students slain by the National Guard

WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

The United States invades Cambodia
The films M*A*S*H, Patton and Love Story begin their journeys to
classics
Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin both die

ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

#1 Singles with the longest run on Billboard:
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
I'll Be There - Jackson 5
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head - B.J. Thomas
(They Long to be) Close To You - CARPENTERS
My Sweet Lord - George Harrison

#1 Albums with the longest run on Billboard:
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
Cosmo's Factory - Credence Clearwater Revival
Abraxas - Santana
Let It Be - Beatles
Woodstock - the Soundtrack

GRAMMY AWARDS:
RECORD OF THE YEAR - AQUARIUS/LET THE SUNSHINE IN -5th Dimension
ALBUM OF THE YEAR - BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS - BST
SONG OF THE YEAR - GAMES PEOPLE PLAY -

CARPENTERS

Debuted the Bacharach-David Medley February 27, 1970 at the Reiss-David Benefit honoring the composer and lyricist.

Toured with Burt Bacharach as his opening act.

CLOSE TO YOU/I KEPT ON LOVING YOU was released as a double A sided single for radio in case program directors thought CLOSE TO YOU was too slow for air play.

A&M made promotional films of CLOSE TO YOU and LOVE IS SURRENDER

CARPENTERS made their first visit to Japan.

MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING was released November 20 as the B side of MR. GUDER. It became a Christmas standard and was on the seasonal charts twice.

Okay, there you have it - the first two years. Fun stuff, don't you agree?

DISCUSS!

[Rick Henry]

Hi Tim... interesting trivia...

Here's a little to add... all in Carpenters trivia...

1969 was the release of their first album which was actually titled "Offering" (the album was retitled "Ticket To Ride" in late 1970).

The first single from the album was "Your Wonderful Parade" in late 1969. Although the single was very short lived and is very rare (I've never seen a copy of it and have rarely heard anything about it, but have seen a catalog number for it).

The second single was "Ticket To Ride" which reached #54 in early 1970 and stayed on the chart for 12 weeks.


Offering (1969)

Many Carpenters fans do not care for this album cover... but it's one of my favorites. I like it for it's raw appeal.

CLICK HERE to see Ticket To Ride

[enigma]

1969 also happened to be the final Rolling stones Record to feature the multi talented Brian Jones playing also it was the year he died.

Also the final group effort by the Beatles an if not their finest record among them Abby Road was released

I found this a great year for music alot of classic and great records were released including Led Zeppelin's debut the beginning of a great career for them. Also a great debut by Chicago was in 1969.

And of course as mentioned the debut of our beloved Carpenters was in 1969 I liked Offerings unique Cover it suited the rather unique collection of music that was contained in this wonderful record as most of us know I still really love this record

I quite loved the year 1969 it saw the release of alot of my favorite records it was kind of sad in that it was also the end of alot of eras most notably the Beatles also the end of the sixties mind set the end of the innocence the Kent state Ohio incident as well as the infamous hells angels Free Concert at the Altamont Speedway that happened at the end of the year accompanied by the ongoing Vietnam war meant the times they were a changing. Just some thoughts on and interesting year 1969

As for 1970 its was a year of new beginnings and of course the year the Carpenters exploded not quite as memorable as the previous year besides the untimely deaths of the great Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and a great Carpenters release not alot memorable to me happened that year compared to 1969.

[Rick Henry]

Apr 17, 2009 12:40:02 GMT -5 enigma said:

1969 also happened to be the final Rolling stones Record to feature the multi talented Brian Jones playing also it was the year he died.

Also the final group effort by the Beatles an if not their finest record among them Abby Road was released

I found this a great year for music alot of classic and great records were released including Led Zeppelin's debut the beginning of a great career for them. Also a great debut by Chicago was in 1969.

And of course as mentioned the debut of our beloved Carpenters was in 1969 I liked Offerings unique Cover it suited the rather unique collection of music that was contained in this wonderful record as most of us know I still really love this record

I quite loved the year 1969 it saw the release of alot of my favorite records it was kind of sad in that it was also the end of alot of eras most notably the Beatles also the end of the sixties mind set the end of the innocence the Kent state Ohio incident as well as the infamous hells angels Free Concert at the Altamont Speedway that happened at the end of the year accompanied by the ongoing Vietnam war meant the times they were a changing. Just some thoughts on and interesting year 1969

As for 1970 its was a year of new beginnings and of course the year the Carpenters exploded not quite as memorable as the previous year besides the untimely deaths of the great Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and a great Carpenters release not alot memorable to me happened that year compared to 1969.

Some very very good observations E...

1969 and 1970 both had a lot of ends and beginnings. The end of the Beatles yet the beginning of Led Zeppelin. The British explosion did not end with the Beatles it did continue into the 70's with super groups such as Led zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and others.

Note that both Genesis and Yes had their debut releases in 1969 also.

[timo]

If I remember right, 1969 was the year I truly became aware of "rock music" - I was only seven and had just started school when my brother bought Led Zep II - it really made a lasting impression on me...
We had a six-day working week up until 1970 here in Finland - the Saturdays were a bit shorter at least in school.
My sister lived in London at that time and she sometimes sent us some new records from there - the Close To You album among them - we just flew by that record then - too soft for "heavy rockers" like me and my bro...
I'm glad I got to listen to the C's a couple of years later! Timeless music!
Timo
PS. Thanks for this wonderful thread, Tim and I'm sorry for being a "train-spotter" (that I am) but I believe there were only 500 000 people at Woodstock...

[Rick Henry]

Apr 20, 2009 0:38:45 GMT -5 timo said:

If I remember right, 1969 was the year I truly became aware of "rock music" - I was only seven and had just started school when my brother bought Led Zep II - it really made a lasting impression on me...
We had a six-day working week up until 1970 here in Finland - the Saturdays were a bit shorter at least in school.
My sister lived in London at that time and she sometimes sent us some new records from there - the Close To You album among them - we just flew by that record then - too soft for "heavy rockers" like me and my bro...
I'm glad I got to listen to the C's a couple of years later! Timeless music!
Timo
PS. Thanks for this wonderful thread, Tim and I'm sorry for being a "train-spotter" (that I am) but I believe there were only 500 000 people at Woodstock...

You are correct Timo on Woodstock... there were 500,000 people in attendance. How funny Tim... could you image 5 million... I don't think that many people would have been able to fit the venue.

I remember first hearing the "Close To You" album in late 1970 on a family vacation. We were a family listening to Three Dog Night and Creedence Clearwater Revival at the time so Carpenters did not make a big splash with us... but I do recall my father was taken by "Another Song" with a comment that that was really good. I was ten at the time.

[YesterdayOnceMore]

Hi Guys - thanks for the correction - we may find more as time goes on in this thread. I'm just trying to keep you on your toes. (Not...it was a mistake! ) I make 'em, so watch for them. Thanks.

I'm getting info together for 1971 and 1972. The songs you point out, Rick - the releases, are the songs I listed at the top, of the post, with the trivia underneath. Thanks for including the exact dates. I like the discussion so far, so look for another couple of years woth of trivia coming soon.

5 million WOULD be a lot of people in one place, EH? Yikes!

[timo]

...but it has almost happened! Rod Stewart (of all the artists in the world) had a crowd of 4 200 000 on New Year's Eve 1994 at the Copacabana Beach in Rio! That has to be an estimation - I bet nobody was really counting them!
Tim, I just get stuck in these trivial facts and I hope you don't think I'm malicious or something!

[YesterdayOnceMore]

Apr 20, 2009 23:44:02 GMT -5 timo said:

...but it has almost happened! Rod Stewart (of all the artists in the world) had a crowd of 4 200 000 on New Year's Eve 1994 at the Copacabana Beach in Rio! That has to be an estimation - I bet nobody was really counting them!
Tim, I just get stuck in these trivial facts and I hope you don't think I'm malicious or something!

Timo, of course not! We're here to discuss, and I'm gonna count on everyone to be sure the facts are straight, so thanks for that!

[ps11932]

Thanks Tim, for your research and presentation of this material. A lot of memories- some good, some not. One thing I am curious about is that one of the first Carpenters concerts was at a movie premier: how did that work, first a live concert, then the first showing of a new movie to a slecet audience? (sorry for my ignorance of the entertainment industry.)

[Rick Henry]

Apr 21, 2009 16:55:19 GMT -5 ps11932 said:

Thanks Tim, for your research and presentation of this material. A lot of memories- some good, some not. One thing I am curious about is that one of the first Carpenters concerts was at a movie premier: how did that work, first a live concert, then the first showing of a new movie to a slecet audience? (sorry for my ignorance of the entertainment industry.)

Hi O.E.

This was not your typical concert in which fans purchase tickets to see a band of choice. It was a benefit dinner done after the premiere of Hello Dolly in L.A. I would imagine that most people at the dinner probably did not know who would be performing at the dinner... but knew there would be entertainment of some sort. I believe Petula Clark was at this dinner and complimented Karen on her ability to play drums and sing at the same time.

Carpenters did two such movie premiere dinners. First "Goodbye Mr. Chips" and then "Hello Dolly" in December 1969. Leslie Bricusse (composer of the music for "Goodbye Mr. Chips") said that Karen Carpenter was amazing. Karen made quite a stir at these two dinners. Very early on it was evident that karen Carpenter was the star of this musical entity.

Tim... you mentioned that "Merry Christmas Darling" was on the seasonal charts twice... although from my sources I see that it was actually on the seasonal charts five times as follows... #1 in 1970, #1 in 1971, #4 in 1972, #1 in 1973 and #5 in 1983. The song may have also charted again after '83... I will have check other sources which go beyond 1983.

[smoothie2]

;)hey all ....VERY INTERESTING THREAD TIM!!!
(((()))))((())
gREAT INFO! LOVE IT...
Wow...Timo...going to school on Sat.? boo! hiss!
The Offering Cover is unique, but I don't care for it...the music inside is
quite a tremendous offering from our dynamic duo!
In 1969 I was 11. Don't think I had my first Carpenters
record yet (my 1st was album Close to You). My brother was 17 practicing the cornet daily trying to copy every note he would
hear on a H. Alpert record (we had them all...they were terrific).
He wasn't into anything really too heavy...Neil diamond, Beatles,

We were kids on a farm, fairly strict Christian atmosphere. But we
enjoyed all types of music. I had to take Music in Jr. hi. in 5th grade,
and really struggled. Those little "Flute-a-phone" gadgets was the instrument and I never learned to read music much but squeaked by.
My oh my that is so ancient history now!
So glad the C's survived for so many yrs.!
((())) ALSO in Aug. 1969 were the Manson "family " killings
in Cal.....which Manson said he was inspired by Beatles "White Album"
especially "helter skelter". A time of real mayhem.
Karen and Richard truly were put on the earth to really add
some CALM yet inspirational music for the world!

[Rick Henry]

I love the song "Helter Skelter" one of my favorite Beatles tunes.

[YesterdayOnceMore]

Some very good information shared so far. Okay, I've got some new info to post.

1971 - In 11 months from July 1970 to June 1971, the Carpenters released four consecutive million-selling singles.

The "Carpenters" album contained three hits and was certified quadruple platinum in the U.S.

A&M made promotional films of Superstar and Rainy Days and Mondays.

The Carpenters starred in Make Your Own Kind of Music, an eight-week summer replacement television show. They also made ten guest appearances on other television shows.

1971 Entertainment Highlights

#1 singles with the longest run on Billboard:

Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
One Bad Apple - Osmonds
Maggie May - Rod Stewart

#1 albums with the longest run on Billboard:
Tapestry - Carole King
Pearl - Janis Joplin
All Things Must Pass -George Harrison
Santana III - Santana

Grammy Awards
Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year - Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

Academy Award for the Best Motion Picture: The French Connection

TIDBITS:

Singles released by Carpenters:
Let Me Be The One
For All We Know
Superstar
Rainy Days and Mondays

Idi Amin takes over control of Uganda
President Nixon ends the trade embargo against China
26th Amendment passes lowering US voting age to 18
Supreme Court orders student busing to achieve desegregation
The Pentagon Papers are published
China invites the US ping pong team to Beijing
Intel introduces the microprocessor
Jim Morrison and Duane Allman die



1972 - Carpenters released A SONG FOR YOU - June 22, 1972


From 1970 to 1972, the Carpenters won nine gold records and three Grammy Awards. The album, A SONG FOR YOU contained six hit singles. It was triple platinum in the U.S. There were three different covers for the vinyl album A SONG FOR YOU. Jerry Moss chose the single Superstar. Karen's vocal on it was a first take (as you all know already). Top of the World was first released in Japan where it went gold. A&M Records made a promotional film of Hurting Each Other (now commonly known as a "music video."). The Carpenters played 174 concerts and introduced the Oldies Medley during their summer tour. The Carpenters were guests on six television shows.


1972 Concert Set List

1. Close to You/Introduction
2. Help
3. Love is Surrender
4. Ticket to Ride
5. For All We Know
6. Oldies
7. Mr. Guder
8. Close To You
9. Reason to Believe
10. Young Ladies that I love Medley
11. Superstar
12. Bacharach-David Medley (extended)
13. Hurting Each Other
14. Sometimes
15. We've Only Just Begun


1972 Entertainment Highlights

#1 Singles with the longest run on Billboard: First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Fl ack
Alone Again, Naturally - Gilbert O'Sullivan
American Pie - Don McLean
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash

#1 Albums with the longest run on Billboard:

Chicago V--Chicago
American Pie - Don McLean
America - America
First Take - Roberta Flack
Honky Chateau - Elton John
Seventh Sojourn - Moody Blues

Grammy Awards:

Record of the Year - It's Too Late - Carole King
Album of the Year - Tapestry - Carole King
Song of the Year: You've Got a Friend - Carole King

Academy Award for Best Motion Picture: The Godfather

INTERESTING TIDBITS

The CAT scan was developed in Great Britain
Prozac is developed
RCA develops the compact disc
Phillips Electronics introduces the video disc
E-mail is introduced

In 1972 President Nixon visits China
U.S. conducts Christmas bombing of North Vietnam
Eleven Israeli athletes killed at Olympic Games
Gov. George Wallace is shot while campaigning for U.S. President
Five arrested while trying to bug Democratic National Committee at Watergate
Apollo 17 makes last manned moon landing
HBO becomes first pay cable network while CBS debuts M*A*S*H
Atari introduces Pong as an arcade game

[Rick Henry]

A minor correction Carpenters never released "Let Me Be The One" as a single. It was a popular album track and it received radio airplay... but it was not a single.

Another tidbit Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World" was 1971's biggest hit... and it was a personal favorite of mine.

Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" logged the most weeks at #1 in 1972 and was the year's biggest hit.

Lynn Anderson reached #2 on the country music charts with her version of "Top Of The World".

Interesting tidbits... thanks for sharing Tim.

[YesterdayOnceMore]

Good catch on that, Rick... you're right, and had I thought about it, I know that Let Me Be The One was not released as a single. It is one of my favorite tunes on the album, however.

Once again, good catch....are there more, anyone? See what kind of knowledge we have here? It's just incredible.

And, can you believe it was 1972, 37 YEARS ago that E-mail was introduced? Man. It seems like just a very few years back.